Introducers for deploying medical devices or for inserting treatment tools into the vasculature of a patient are well known in the art. Introducers for these applications are typically elongate tubular constructs which are fed through the vasculature of the patient up to the treatment site. An introducer needs to be flexible so as to be able to curve through the patient's vasculature. A flexible dilator tip is typically provided at the distal end of the introducer assembly, for use in guiding the introducer assembly to the treatment site. The guide wire may be provided for assisting in the insertion of the introducer assembly into the patient, the dilator tip and catheter elements of the assembly fitting over the guide wire.
Typically, the introducer assembly is generally round in axial cross-section in order to provide the assembly with similar being characteristics in all radial directions of the assembly. This applies equally to the dilator tip.
Problems can occur with the deployment of medical devices or tools using introducer assemblies, particularly in very tortuous paths, past aneurysms and also when seeking to orient a device or tool within a patient's vessel.
Some examples of introducer assemblies and dilator tips can be found in EP-1,647,233, U.S. Pat. No. 6,514,228, U.S. Pat. No. 7,618,431, and US-2005/149096.